Electrical control for stanchions for dairy cattle barns



June 18, 1946. c. M. COLLINS ELECTRICAL CONTROL FOR STANCHIONS FOR DAIRY CATTLE BARNS Filed March '7, 1945 J l I INVENTOR. C'DYDE M COLLINS Patented June 18, 1946 ELECTRICAL CONTROL FOR STANCHIONS FOR DAIRY CATTLE BARNS Clyde Collins, Wlllamina, Oreg.

Application March 7, 1945, Serial No. 581,505

3 Claims. (Cl. 119-148) This invention relates to cattle barn stanchlons,

and aims to provide a novel and practical mechanism, electrically operated, for opening the stanchions to release all the cattle simultaneously, and vice versa to close all the stanchions simultaneously to lock the cattle therein, Thereby a considerable amount of time and labor are saved. The device may be operated on any voltage, and th invention may be applied to either factory built or home made stanchions.

The above broad as well as additional and more specific objects will become apparent in the following description, wherein charactersof referenc refer to like-numbered parts in the accompanying drawing. It is to be noted that the drawing is intended for the purpose of illustration only, and that it is neither desired nor intended to limit the scope of the invention to any or all of the specific details of construction illustrated excepting insofar as they may be deemed essential to the invention.

Referring briefly to the drawing,

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of a single stanchion in locked condition.

'Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the stanchion in open condition.

Fig. 3 is a front elevational view of a modified form of the stanchion with the device applied thereto, in closed condition.

Fig. 4 is a wiring diagram indicating the man- 30 stantially similar arm l4 pivoted to the base I2 forward of the arm I3. The arm l3 has its upper portion of ,the same thickness as the arm I4, but the lower portion below the horizontal shoulder i3a, indicated by the numeral a, is, as shown in Fig. 5, of increased thickness to accommodate the solenoid IS in the desired position forward of the solenoid H, as clarified below. Of course any other structure or arrangement, not shown, might be provided instead of the shown, for the same purpose. A spring or the like l5, deformed substantially as shown, is anchored to the arm l3 and normally urges the arm I to swing outward on its pivot.

A pair of solenoids l6 and H are mounted with shown, th solenoid li lying below and forward of the solenoid II. The armature l8 of the former has a link is pivoted to its eXtremity,;-and the other end of the link I9 is plvoted'to the shorter arm 20 of a bell crank 2 I. the bell crank being pivoted to the stanchion arm l3 at 22. In the extremity of the longer bell crank arm 23 a rod 24 has one end pivoted, the other end of the rod,

25, being pivoted to the pivoted stanchion arm H.

The other solenoid IT has its armature 26 extending slid-ably through an opening in a horizontal rigid guide 21 and is provided with a rigid collar or washer 28 near its extremity. A coiled spring 29 surrounds the armature 26 between the guide 2! and the collar 28 and normally urges the armature 2B upward. A band-like yoke 30 has one end 3| secured to the top of the stanchion arm l4 and the other end provided with an opening 3| therethrough, its extremity 32 being slightly curved upward. Normally when the stanchion is closed as shown in Fig. 1 the extremity 33 of the armature 26 registers in the yoke opening 3| and prevents theyoke arm M from being swung outward by th spring l5, thereby not only keeping the stanchion closed but also releasably looking it in closed position. 1

In the wiring diagram of Fig. 4, the electrical connections of three similar stanchions are shown at a, b, and 0, but of course any other number of stanchions may be used. The solenoid is connected in circuit with a source of supply represented by the battery 34 through the leads 35 and the switch 36. The additional solenoids ll of the additional stanchions are connected in parallel with the solenoid 'll of the stanchion represented at a. Likewise, the series of solenoids I6 are connected in parallel through leads 31 with a source 38 (which would of course be the same source as 31 in actual use) and a switch 39. With the switch 39 closed as shown in Fig. 4 and the switch 36 open, the stanchions would all be in closed condition as shown in Fig. 1. If switch 39 is then opened after switch 36 has first been closed, the stanchion arm 14 will obviously be released by Withdrawal of the armature 26 into the solenoid I1 and the arm [4 will be swung outward by the spring l5. Both switches are of course open excepting during the brief time of closing or opening the stanchions. As the stanchion arm I4 swings outward it rocks the bell crank 2| so that the armature l8 of the solenoid I6 is Withdrawn, as is obvious. 39 is closed, causingretractionofthe armature l8 by the solenoid l6 and hence causing the bell their axes vertical and they may be positioned as crank to swing the stanchion arm ll back into To close the stanchion the switch 3 closed position. Just before it reaches this position the upturned tip 32 of the yoke 30 will ride over the extremity 33 of the armature 26 and force the latter downward against its spring 29 until the extremity 33 passes through the opening 3| to latch the yoke in closed position.

Obviously the entire series of stanchions similar to the one described will thus open and close simultaneously, and the consequent saving of labor and time is obvious.

In the so-called factory built type of stanchion shown in Fig. 3, it is built of steel or iron and all the similar parts thereof as well as of the instant invention are indicated thereon by the same reference numerals followed by the letter a, and a clear understanding of the application of the invention to this form of stanchion is believed spaced forward thereof, a solenoid mounted on said rigid member, a bell crank pivoted on said rigid member/a link joining one arm of said bell crank to said armature, a rod having one end pivoted to said pivoted member and the other pivoted to the other arm of said bell crank, a second solenoid on said rigid member, said pivoted member having a yoke secured thereon provided with an opening through the end thereof, a rigid guide on said n'gid member having an opening therethrough, the armature of said second solenoid extending through said guide opening and having a rigid collar thereon near the extremity thereof, a coiled spring surrounding said second armature between said collar and said guide, said extremity of said second armature registering releasably in said yoke opening to lock said pivoted arm in closed position, and electrical means for energizing said solenoids.

2. The device set forth in claim 1, the free extremity of said yoke being curved upward.

3. The device set forth in claim 1, having a plurality of substantially identical stanchions constructed in accordance with said claim, each set of solenoids of said plurality of stanchions being connected in parallel with said electrical energizing means.

CLYDE M. COLLINSL 

